Ancient Darkness: Book 1 Never Play With Fire
by Perfect Anomaly
Summary: Wynter,Night and Willow have moved to Four Clans High.There,they discover an ancient secret and so must band together to fight the ancient darkness that is rising within one of them.It coils inside,ready to strike at any moment.  Never play with fire.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's the prologue of my new story! I hope you like it!**

**Prologue**

"_WHAT_?"

"But father, no~"

"We can't father, we can't go there!"

"BE QUIET!" roared my father Silent. "You are going and that's final!"

I stared up at my father, shocked. He never actually raises his voice, and I wondered what had pushed him over the edge. "Wynter, go to your room," he whispered, running his hand through his hair. He pointed to my room and shooed me away. "Willow, Night, you too. Just-just go." He turned around, and our mother Ripple hugged him.

My sister Willow and I trudged off to our room, my brother Night going in the other direction. It all started when the school we went to decided to close down. Because of that, we had to transfer, and the Four Clans High was our only choice. I lashed my tail in fury.

Yeah, I said tail.

I'm a neko. Half cat, half human. We have tails and cat ears, as well as fangs and claws. The Tribe School, where I used to go to, also was a school for nekos. My worst enemy, Drew, went to Four Clans high, and I wasn't really keen to see her again. I went to the school once, and did not want to again. There was a sense of foreboding, of death and disaster. Upset, I pulled the covers over me and fell asleep.

My iPhone rang, and I answered. "Hello?" I asked, still sleepy.

"Hi Wynter!"

"Ice?" I queried. "What is it? It's five in the morning and the reason for you to call me at this ungodly hour better be good."

"Well, not really," Ice said darkly.

I shot upright, fully awake. "What is it?"

"I have to transfer to Four Clans High." She replied.

"So am I!" I squealed. "When are you going?"

"Next week."

"Oh. I'm going two weeks later."

"Cool. I'll see you later. Bye!"

"Bye!" I hung up. Maybe going to Four Clans High wouldn't be so bad after all…

"Good morning class," Miss Leaffill, the Humanities teacher, smiled. "Today we have three new classmates. Please welcome Wynter, Night, and Willow Thore." There was a few muttered 'hello's, one or two waves, and a large number of glares. I glared back, giving Drew a frosty look that, according to Willow, had the ability to return the world to the ice age. Night shifted uncomfortably under the stares of some girls whose faces were caked with make-up. The popular girls, obviously.

A bunch of girls and a boy were staring at the screens of the laptops that everyone had to have. Definitely the nerds. Next to them was another combination of girls and a boy, all reading magazines, or toying with pencils. I guessed that they weren't high or low, probably the nekos in the middle. Some, two girls and three boys, were probably the jocks.

The final group was about four boys. They all lounged back on their chairs, looking like they didn't have a care in the world. I had no doubt who they were. The popular guys. One of them, a dark haired boy's gaze locked on mine. With a start I realised that his eyes, like mine, were two coloured, blue with a black ring. His eyes widened when he saw mine-emerald green around the pupil fading to a brilliant gold. A girl next to him gave me a nasty glare, and I returned it.

"Now, will anyone want to show our new friends around?" beamed Miss Leaffill. A small hand was raised hesitantly. "Yes, Ice?" asked the teacher.

My best friend offered, "I'll show Wynter around. I used to go to the same school as her." Miss Leaffill nodded her approval. She then chose two more guides-the boy with the two coloured eyes, named Christopher Chestnut for Night, and a girl called Holly Scor for Willow. "Okay, moving on now," Miss Leaffill walked over to the board and asked, "Who knows what the relics of the clans are?"

A girl who had long black hair put up her hand instantly. "Yes, Poppy?"

"The relics of the clan are the weapons of the legendary leaders of Tigerclan, Lionclan, and Leopardclan," Poppy babbled. "The Star bow and hunting daggers of Tiger, the Star knives of Leopard, and the Star swords of Lion."

"Correct. Now, can anyone tell me about Lion and Leopard, the founders of the ancient clans and the owners of the Star swords and the Star knives?"

Holly raised her hand. "They were said to be siblings, with dark amber eyes and great skill. Lion was very swift and kind, Leopard was strong and could leap very high."

"Good job Holly. Who knows about Tiger?"

Silence.

"Well?" Miss Leaffill raised an eyebrow, and picked Christopher. He looked at his hands, and gulped. Raising his head, he said quietly, "Tiger was the hunter of the night. She had the Star bow and hunting daggers, was lithe and deadly."

"Anything else?" asked the teacher.

"She destroyed the two other great clans of the forest. When her siblings, out of grief for their lost clans, killed her, she declared that she will be reborn, mightier and much more powerful. She vowed that she would return as another soul, different from that child's in every way, except for two. One of them would be that she would still be female."

"And what is that other single difference?"

"She would still have the same eyes. Emerald green around the pupils, fading to a brilliant gold. The eyes of frost, of underlying danger and foreboding. The eyes of an untold omen. Of destruction and of death."

**A/N: So how was it? Good? Bad? Review and tell me!**


	2. Allegiances

**A/N: Here's the Allegiances!**

Allegiances

Grade 7:

Popular guys:

1. Night Thore (Nightshadow)-black haired boy, very athletic, dark amber eyes. 12 yrs old (Wynter and Willow's brother, best friend of Light)

2. Light Fare (Lightheart)-white haired boy with glasses and green eyes, 175 cm tall. 12 yrs old (Poppy Air's cousin, Night's best friend)

3. Christopher Chestnut (Chestnutheart)-dark haired boy with black and blue eyes. 13 yrs old (Shayde's best friend)

4. Shayde Keisher (Shadestripe)-tall, jet black haired with acidic green eyes. 13 yrs old (Christopher's best friend)

5. Shadow Wirk (Shadowwhisker)-dark gray, almost black hair with amber eyes. 12 yrs old

Popular girls:

1. Snow Carter (Snowclaw)-round blue eyes, silver and white hair 13 yrs old (Scarlet's best friend)

2. Scarlet Martinez (Scarletmist)-curly dark brown and gray hair, almond shaped golden eyes. 13 yrs old (Snow's best friend)

3. Terra Suang (Earthsong)-dark brown hair, dark green eyes. 14 yrs old (Christopher's girlfriend, Alayna's best friend)

4. Alayna Brett (Applebreeze)-creamy, brown and gray spotted hair, light tan. 13 yrs old (Terra's best friend)

5. Lily Rine (Lilyripple)-pitch black hair with silver streaks, light amber eyes. 13 yrs old (Tyson's girlfriend, Holly's best friend)

6. Holly Scor (Hollystripe)-well tanned, black hair, green eyes. 12 yrs old (Lily's best friend)

Jocks:

1. Cory Mason (Coalflame)-short dark grey and white haired boy with green eyes. 12 yrs old (Jason Thorn's best friend)

2. Jason Thorn (Jaythorn)-Almost six foot tall, gray haired, with blue eyes. 14 yrs old (Cory's best friend)

3. Tyson Fangg (Tigerfang)-short dark brown hair with black streaks, hazel eyes with amber flecks. 12 yrs old (Britany's best friend, Lily's boyfriend)

4. Britany Fira (Brightfire)-gold and ginger haired girl, shining amber eyes. 12 yrs old (Tyson's best friend)

5. Drew Levy (Darkleaf)-short, jet black and amber hair, pale gray eyes. 13 yrs old (Isaac's sister, his best friend)

Middle:

1. Willow Thore (Willowfern)-ginger, brown, black and white striped haired girl with dark amber eyes. 12 yrs old (Lea's best friend, Wynter and Night's sister)

2. Lea Flowe (Leafflower)-light brown, gold and amber haired, blue gray eyes and freckles. 12 yrs old (Willow's best friend)

3. Hawk Burr (Hawkheart)-brown, white and black haired girl, brown eyes. (Ice's sister, Phaea's best friend)

4. Phaea Song (Flyingsong)-tall, dark brown/black and red hair, hazel eyes. 13 yrs old (Hawk's best friend)

5. Isaac Levy (Iceleaf)-mute, pure white hair with amber streaks, amber eyes. 13 yrs old (Drew's brother, her best friend)

Nerds:

1. Wynter Thore (Winterthaw)-Silvery white, ginger and black haired girl with green and gold eyes. 12 yrs old (Willow and Night's sister, Ice's best friend)

2. Ice Burr (Iceflower)-White and silver hair, slightly sunburnt with blue eyes. 13 yrs old (Wynter's best friend, Hawk's sister)

3. Poppy Air (Poppyrain)-150 cm tall, long black hair. 12 yrs old (Light's cousin, Jasper's best friend)

4. Jasper Lead (Jetlight)-tall, pale gray hair, light gold eyes 14 yrs old (Poppy's best friend)

English teacher: Silver Ron-Donna (Silverfire)-gray hair with white streaks, spectacles. 75 yrs old

Maths teacher: Barack Thorne (Blackthorn)-black hair, icy blue eyes, pale. 47 yrs old

Humanaties teacher: Liliana Leaffill (Leafheart)-creamy silver and blond hair, stormy gray eyes. 21 yrs old

Science teacher: Blossom Fralt (Blossomflower)-Long black hair, green eyes, glasses. 28 yrs old

French teacher: River Stall (Riverlight)-bluish white haired woman, silver eyes. 25 yrs old

Chinese teacher: Hei An Ling (Darkdash)-Long dark haired woman with gray stripes. 24 yrs old

P.E teacher (sport): Jeremy Lawson (Jaggedwing)-light and dark gray hair, pale blue eyes. 26 yrs old


	3. Chapter 1: Capture the Flag

**A/N: Here's the next chappie!**

**Chapter 1-Capture the Flag**

"Alright, kids."

Our P.E teacher, Mr Lawson, also known as Jaggedwing, paced in front of us. Get into two groups of 12." All of us obeyed. Ice, who had sprained her wrist on Friday morning, watched us mournfully. It was Saturday afternoon, and we were going to play 'Capture the Flag'. We were supposed to arm up, get into the woods, and try to capture the flag/beanbag. As long as we didn't kill each other, there weren't any rules at all.

"Arm up," ordered Mr Lawson. We all ran to a table spread with our weapons. I stuck my pair of hunting daggers into the belt around my waist and picked up my longbow. Willow was flipping her knives up and down, smiling dangerously, and glaring at Holly. I looked around at my team mates-Chris (he told me to call him that), Hawk Burr, who was Ice's sister, Jasper, the sole guy in my clique, Poppy, Willow, Night, Lea Flowe, Phae Song, Tyson Fang, and Britany/Brit Fira.

Night was sneaking glances at Hawk, while strapping his swords to his back. Chris sauntered over, and told me, "You'll be on guard duty with Jasper and me. Is that okay? Just stay in the trees and cover us with that bow of yours. We'll protect the…beanbag. By the way, can you actually shoot that thing?" he gestured to my bow. "I've known men who are twice your height and can't even string something that big."

I blinked. I had never paid much attention to the size of my weapons, but when I looked at the bow that Hawk held, I realised that Chris was right. My longbow was massive, one of those six-foot-long monsters. The quiver that I had slung over my back almost touched the ground, and the arrows rose a good 30 centimetres over the top. "Yeah, I can." I picked up the bowstring, slipped it over the end, pulled it up, and pushed the other loop over the other end. Turning it sideways, I caught the string and drew the bow, pulling the string back to my ear. "I'd shoot an arrow, but I probably would hit someone."

Tyson whistled, awed. "You're really good," he said. "Even my pa can't shoot a bow that big, and he's one of the best archers in our world." I grinned, buoyed up by the praise. But then, my spirits plummeted when Drew skulked towards me. I stalked over to meet her, a growl vibrating through my throat. I flexed my claws, waiting to pounce. The beating lights of the life forces around me pulsed, but a few were dim, and Drew's was one of the dimmest. I could almost feel my fangs tearing through her throat, her life force growing even dimmer, celebrating the thrill of the hunt with my clanmates…

Wait, what?

Holy crap. What just happened?

"Wynter? Wynter? Earth to Wynter?" Night shook me.

"Huh?" I asked intelligently.

"We're moving out. They're starting the game!" He rolled his eyes. I nodded stiffly, still puzzled about what had happened. I followed my team through the forest, until we found a place to station our 'flag'. It was in a small clearing, shielded with tall cliffs on the back and right side, dense forest on the left, but our main concern was in front. That was where Chris and Jasper would keep their attention. I had to guard the left side. Easy? No. Not at all.

A tired Night ran over, panting that the other forces were too strong and that they needed help. Tyson and Chris left with him, Chris calling over his shoulder for me to guard the 'flag' as they backed up the attacking force. In other words, I was on my own. Oh deary me. I was in deep trouble. Perching in a tree with who-knows-what out there, with ants running up your back and the sun baking you to a crisp was a recipe for disaster.

Dropping my right hand down a bit, I stroked the hilts of my hunting daggers. They sent a jolt up my arm, and I gasped. The humming in my head formed into words, an ancient song of life and death. I glanced at them, and remembered the day I received them-

"_Wynter?"_

"_Yes, father?"_

"_I have something to give to you. Here." My father dropped two long knives into my hands. I pulled one out of the cloth that covered one, and let out a squeak. The hilt of the hunting dagger was not metal, but a tawny stone that danced and shimmered with gold and brown lights. In the pommel a lapis lazuli stone sat, the midnight blue gem spangled with silver stars. Finally, I looked at the cross guard, amazed by the beauty of the alternating amethyst and topaz studs that reigned there. The other dagger was the same._

_Then, I turned my attention to the blades of the daggers. They held a bluish sheen, and one side was serrated, while the other was not, but was still wickedly sharp. "Thank you, father." I whispered._

"_They are yours by right." He replied, dark amber eyes solemn. He then held out another cloth covered bundle. I took it from him, and opened it to find a beautifully crafted yew longbow, one of those monstrous ones that only a few could use. Next to it was a quiver of arrows, each fletched with the feathers of an eagle. "These are also yours by right." he told me._

"_Why?" I asked._

"_One day you will know."_

I was pulled out of my memories by a twig snapping nearby. Drew emerged from the trees, ears pricked. She held her long knife gently, slowly making her way to our flag. She smirked, and muttered some words about how stupid my team was for not guarding the flag. My blood boiled and I hissed. Quietly, I set down my bow and quiver, and drew my hunting daggers. Silently, I dropped down behind the tree and let out a battle cry.

Drew spun around, shock in her eyes. I swung my daggers up and then down, scissoring them towards her neck. She jumped back and attacked, almost hitting me in the chest with her knife. I dodged, and realised the humming in my weapons was louder. _'Tiger cuffs and backhands,' _it whispered. I recognized that certain sequence and did what it told me to, slamming the butt of my right dagger into Drew's hand, and then hitting her across the cheek with the back of my hand. She got in a lucky shot, cutting me on the forehead.

'_Reverse Tiger mirror thrust.'_

I turned so that my back was to Drew, stabbed backwards with both daggers and back-flipped over her, then repeated the movement, but this time thrusting forwards. I also gave her a kick for an added bonus. She doubled over, wheezing when my foot connected with her right kidney. "Yield," I growled, pressing my dagger into her throat. Unfortunately, I forgot about the hand she had her knife in. A searing pain exploded on my cheek.

"When hell freezes over!" yelled Drew. She threw herself on me, and we punched, kicked, and hit for a frenzied moment before breaking apart.

'_Tiger whips tail.'_

I saw my chance, and quickly turned away from Drew, and dropped to all fours. I slammed my feet up when she leapt at me, one smacking into her stomach and the other into her knee. She howled, eyes rolling up. I took that second to get to my feet. I pressed one dagger to her throat, the other into that spot in someone's back which is twice lethal. If you stab down hard enough, you can sever their spine and pierce their heart as an added bonus. Drew seemed to know that, and kept very still.

Score one for me.

"You do know," I commented mildly, "That Hel is a Viking afterlife? Can you guess what the climate there is like?"

**A/N: So how was it? Review and tell me! Did I end it badly? I couldn't think of anything, so please review and tell me!**

**Until the next chapter, May Starclan light your paths.**

**~Winterthaw of Thunderclan**


	4. Chapter 2: Tauros

**Chapter 2-Tauros**

"Hey," a hand tapped me on the shoulder. I turned, and started when I realised the boy in front of me was Chris.

"Umm, hi-hi!" I stammered, heart jumping erratically. He smiled shyly, pushing his hair back from his forehead. Morning chatter made its way to my ears, and I shifted the strap of my denim bag. I was on the way to Science. "I was wondering…" Chris said a bit hesitantly, "If you would like to…"

Man, this suspense was killing me. If he didn't spit it out soon, I'll probably go into cardiac arrest.

"Well, uh, would you like to hang out with me sometime?"

I was all like, _YES! HE PRACTICALLY ASKED ME OUT!_ But I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn't help the goofy grin that spread over my face. "Sure!" I agreed. "Uh, what do you have next?"

"Science. You?"

"Science too!" I replied, heart almost singing. Together we walked to the labs, and, unfortunately, ran into Holly, Shadow Wirk, Terra, and Drew. None of them looked very pleased, as only two days ago Holly had been beaten up thoroughly by Willow, Shadow had been bashed on the noggin by Night for trying to hit Hawk, and Drew's $$ had been whopped by me. Terra had broken up with Chris (insert cheering here). They glared at us as they walked away. Life was pretty good, huh?

I sat beside Ice, and just when I thought the excitement of the day was over, Chris slid into the chair on my other side. Yep, life was definitely good.

Until the tauros came along.

Willow, Night, Chris (yes, Chris again), Alayna Brett (one of the more popular girls), Light Fare (Night's best friend), Hawk, Shayde, and I were practising weapons in P.E when it decided to saunter into the middle of class. I was shooting arrows with a crossbow towards the target when it appeared. _Foot in the stirrup, load, pull over, snap the clip in place, lift it up, aim and…shoot!_ I watched in satisfaction as the bolt flew straight, thudding into the bullseye. I repeated the actions, _Foot in the stirrup, load, pull over, snap the clip in place, lift it up, aim and…_WHAT THE HELL?

I spotted a huge lumbering beast in the forest, not far from where we were practising. I shuffled backwards a bit, put down the crossbow with the bolt still loaded, and picked up my longbow and it's quiver. I didn't bother to unstring the crossbow, as they could stay like that for ages and the string wouldn't go loose. Longbows, however, were a different story and I had to bend it and re-string it. I retreated back a bit more, to where the rest class was, holding the two bows.

"What is that?" Alayna asked, bewildered. She hoisted her sword up a bit, unsheathing it in preparation for whatever was coming towards us. Night did the same, releasing the weapons that our father had also given him. Light and Chris also pulled out their swords. Willow, Shayde, and Hawk brought out their knives, and I nocked an arrow, aiming at the thing's head.

At first, when it was in the trees, it didn't look too big. Unfortunately, we underestimated its size and when it finally emerged from the trees, we were all stunned. The creature was about three metres tall, as broad as two men standing shoulder to shoulder, and had a massive head. This head was around half a metre long, slightly larger than your average head. It also had cloven hooves, horns, and predatory eyes. Yeppers. You got it right.

It was a tauros.

Also, the beast had an added bonus of being stark naked. We could see, clearly, and unfortunately, that it was male. What a way to find out. Hawk squeaked. Alayna gulped. Willow twitched. I whisper-yelled, "My eyes, they burn!" the guys shifted uncomfortably, not liking the scene at all. Tauroses preyed on women, and that prospect wasn't very inviting. Oh, and he also had a broadsword in his hand.

"How the hell did it get here?" hissed Mr Lawson.

"Isn't that what we're all wondering?" replied Shayde.

"Um, if you people are interested, I think he's plotting how to kill us," Willow squawked. Alayna scowled.

"No crap, Sherlock," she muttered.

"Watch out, I think it's gonna charge us…!" yelled Hawk. And indeed it was.

The tauros thundered at us, and everyone scattered. I rolled, trying not to crush my quiver. Speedily, I fired two arrows. "What was your first clue?" I enquired mildly as the bull-man freight-trained past, two quivering arrows stuck in his hide. Chris didn't look very pleased when he was confronted by half-a-ton of smelly monster. Still, he, Light, Alayna, and Night formed a defensive circle around it, their swords pointing at it aggressively.

Willow, Shadye, and Hawk ran to back them up. Mr Lawson looked around wildly for a weapon, and grinned in thanks when I passed him my crossbow. He pointed at a tree and signalled, giving unheard, but still clear instructions to stay up there and shoot. I gave him the quiver of crossbow bolts that lay on the ground before running away and swarming up the oak's trunk. Aiming my bow and nocking an arrow in preparation, I waited for my chance.

I fired the same time Mr Lawson did, the arrow flying in an arc before smacking into the tauros' back. I put down my longbow, and slithered down the tree while Mr Lawson struggled to reload the cross bow. He heaved at the string, trying to pull it over and then clip the arrow to the bow. I ran to his aid, ducking a knife that Willow threw. It flew past and buried itself in a very sensitive part of the monster. A _very, VERY_ sensitive part. Enough said.

Two guesses how the tauros reacted.

If you guessed not very well, you are correct.

It bellowed in pain (surprise, surprise) and ran around like a mad cow. Pun intended. Anyways, we all scattered for the second time this day before surrounding it once more. I reloaded the crossbow for Mr Lawson, before drawing my hunting dagger and joining the fight. Hawk and Shayde were copying Willow's example and throwing knives at the tauros, which I had to admit, was a very good idea.

Pretty soon, after three more arrows, one or two crossbow bolts, a large number of sword cuts and knives in sensitive places, the tauros gave up, keeled over, and died. We all cheered, retrieving our weapons and arrows. Fortunately, the fright it gave us was over.

Unfortunately, it had an ugly buddy.

**A/N: Ooooh…Cliffy! Review! Review and get a cookie!**

**Until the chapter, May Starclan light your paths.**

**~Winterthaw of Thunderclan**


	5. Chapter 5: Descent

**A/N: Hey guys! Sozzy for the late update, I had to re-write the chapter because I didn't like it. I hope that this will make up for you guys waiting!**

**Chapter 3-Descent**

After another nasty fight with another, larger, tauros, we all trooped up back to the school for dinner. In the tables at the cafeteria, I sat with Hawk, Ice, and Alayna. We were all chatting about the tauros, and how it nearly took Shadye's arm off. When we were finishing off the apple crumble, the PA system blared out. Half the cafeteria fell off their seats. "Attention students!" barked the principal's voice. Mrs Claw then continued to yell, "Now, as you may know, we have encountered certain…creatures in the forest. There is no need to panic~"

Instantly the cafeteria was in uproar.

So much for that 'no need to panic' thing.

"What creature?" Lily Rine shrilled. Meanwhile, Holly Scor was engaged in an argument with Willow. Snow Carter and Scarlet Martinez pressed closer together, as Tyson Fang and Brit Fira began to mutter nervously. Cory Mason gulped and his best friend, Jason Thorn, made a sort of 'Eee-uh-mmmmwww!' noise when Drew told him about the tauros. Terra flipped her hair and scoffed, "It's just a tauros. So what? I can take on anything!" Phaea Song and Hawk gave each other a look. They were obviously thinking up some devious plan.

When the students had been calmed, dinner was over and everyone went back to their dorms. I trooped back to the one I shared with Ice and Hawk. We still had about an hour and a half until lights outs, which was 9:30. Then we had to wake up at 7:00 the next day, get ready for breakfast at 8:00, and then we had lessons at 8:45. Basically, this was my schedule for tomorrow:

8:45-English

9:00-Maths

10:15-Recess

10:45-Science

12:00-French

1:15-Lunch

2:00-Free time

3:00-Art (mandatory)

4:15-Free time

6:30-Dinner

8:00-Free time

9:30-Lights out

I picked up my maths books, preparing to finish off some homework that was due in second period. Quickly solving the last two simultaneous equations, I glanced over to where Ice was reading. Hawk had come out of the shower, and I put down my pencil and gathered my .

After the shower, I felt much better, though I was still going to turn several interesting shades of purple after the tauros encounter. The inside of my left forearm had a few cuts where the string of my bow had scraped it. My arm guard had broken earlier today.

Climbing into my bed with Dan Brown's _Angels and Demons_, I read until Miss River Stall, or Riverlight, came in to turn off the lights. When I finally drifted off to sleep, my dream was not a normal one.

A tall, graceful, and lithe neko was standing with her back to me. She had long, dark ginger hair that was silvery white at the edges and had black stripes through it. Her tail was long, thin, and was ginger striped black. It had a silvery white tip too. The ears of the neko were slightly rounded at the top, and were orangey, frosted with white. Then, she turned, and I gasped.

She was beautiful and terrible. Her face was the most lovely that I had ever seen, with ivory skin, a perfectly formed nose, long lashes, wide eyes and all, but it was also very, very scary. She had that air around her-the air of an assassin. The, I caught sight of the neko's eyes and I instantly knew who she was.

"You're Tiger," I said brusquely.

She trilled a laugh. "Yes, Wynter, I am. I have come to give you a gift and to train you."

"Train me? For what? And what gift is it?" I asked.

Tiger smiled. "You will know in time. And this gift…" She reached into her pocket and drew out a long, green object, which seemed too long to fit into the small pocket. It looked like…a flute.

"This is a Xiao, a Chinese end-blown flute. Usually they are made of bamboo, but this is a sacred object and is carved out of jade. I wish for you to learn how to play it."

"Uh, cheers. But…what's this gonna do? I mean, what's the point?"

"Do not underestimate this Xiao. It can be used as an instrument, and a weapon. Go to your teacher Hei An Ling. She will teach you how to play it. Use this flute well, as you can learn many things." Tiger passed me a small key and a slip of paper. "Also, go to this place in your library. It will have other things there. Farewell for now, Wynter Thore. We will meet again." She began to fade, leaving me with a piece of paper, a key, and a Xiao, none of which I knew what to do with.

I woke up with a start. _What a weird dream, _I thought, and then nearly shrieked. Clasped in my hand was none other than the flute, the key, and the slip of paper. _O-kay_ _then. I guess I have to check out this place later._

"Mornin'," Ice yawned.

"Hey," I replied sleepily.

"Zzzz," snored Hawk.

"Nice flute there. Where did you get it?" Ice asked. I shrugged, brain gears whirring for a passable answer. "I…received it…in the mail yesterday," I suggested lamely. Ice gave me a sceptical look and then got up, preparing for her morning shower.

After classes, I ran back to my room, trying not to collapse under the weight of the books I was carrying. Dumping them on my bed, I felt under my pillow for the Xiao and the other things Tiger had given me. After Hawk had broken into my secret drawer where I had kept my personal stuff, I now stashed my items under my pillow. The drawer had now been filled with ping pong balls, and turned upside down, a sure fire way to keep Hawk away. Hopefully, she wouldn't find out my new hiding spot or I'd have to guard my stuff with Molotov Cocktails and whatnot.

Slipping into the hall, I knocked on Miss Hei's, or Darkdash's, office door. She opened it. "Oh hello, Wynter," she smiled, and invited me in. "What do you want?"

"Um…" I racked my brains for an answer that didn't need explaining the involvement of Tiger. "I was wondering, can you teach me to play the Xiao? My…aunt gave it to me yesterday." I showed her the flute.

An expression of wonder came over her face. "I haven't seen this Xiao for a long time…" she murmured. Gently, Darkdash caressed its surface. The jade seemed to gleam brighter after she ran her fingers across it. "Of course," she told me. "It will be my pleasure."

But then, I could almost swear I heard these words after: "To serve the daughter of Tiger, the Star Huntress, the player of the Jade Xiao, and the wielder of Rainbow Sky."

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews I got last time! They really made my day! I would **_**love, love, LOVE **_**it if I could get 10 reviews by the next update, but I'm not picky. Any number will do! Here's a small contest:**

**What colour is Tiger's tail?**

**Winners get Wynter plushies! ;)**

**Until the next chapter, May Starclan light your path.**


	6. Chapter 4: Songfic 1This is Halloween

**A/N: Hi guys. Sorry, it's been a long time. And so, here is a special songfic chapter! I suggest you listen to the Marilyn Manson version of This is Halloween, since the lyrics were done by ear to that specific cover. GAWD I JUST ADORE MARILYN MANSON HIS NEW ALBUM IS COMING OUT SOON**

**Okay, I'll shut up now and let you guys enjoy. XD**

**Chapter 4-Songfic 1: This is Halloween**

_Boys and girls of every age,_

_Wouldn't you like to see something strange?_

In my dream I was standing at a crossroads. One path leaded to a meadow filled with flowers and a tiny and tidy village. The sun was shining and butterflies danced and birds chirped. Nekos stood and waved at me, beckoning for me to join them. However, something didn't look right. They were too…similar. Too perfect. Too plastic.

I turned to the other side.

It was a bleak wasteland. The sky was pitch black. Dark clouds skidded across the surface of a full moon. I could see, somewhere there, a ruined castle with run down houses that you would expect to see in a horror movie surrounding it.

A group of nekos also stood there, however, they were unlike the ones I saw in the perfect village. They were…horrible.

Sick, twisted. They looked completely wrong, but not as wrong as the other ones. Their wrong was a beautiful wrong.

"Come with us!" the perfect nekos called, laughing and waving.

I looked at the other group for their reaction. Their facial expressions said it all.

I made my decision.

_Come with us and you will see,_

_This our town of Halloween!_

I walked over towards the citizens of what was apparently Halloween Town. The nekos of the perfect village yelled for me to come back.

"No!" they screamed. "Don't go with them!"

Now their faces were far from lovely. They were screwed up in anger, fury. They all stomped their feet in unison, shouted the same things in chorus.

I took one last look and turned my back on them.

The pack of nekos who had come to greet me led me through the dark streets.

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween,_

_Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!_

_This is Halloween, everybody make a scene,_

_Trick or treat till the neighbours gonna die of fright!_

_It's our town, everybody scream!_

I glanced around at the town. It looked like something out of a Tim Burton film. Most of the windows of the houses were broken, some were intact but were coated in grime.

Tall picketed metal fences surrounded the houses. Trees with warped limbs pointed skeletal fingers accusingly at the dank sky. Tombstones stuck out of the ground like crooked teeth. Somehow I felt I knew this place…

_In this town of Halloween…_

_I am the one hiding under your bed,_

_Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red_

Looking around at the monstrous nekos gathered around me, I noticed one or two who seemed familiar. One leered at me, his sharp teeth glistening, his eyes as red as blood.

He was the one that Willow had always envisioned hiding under our beds. I remembered a conversation we had had once.

"**He's under there," Willow whimpered.**

**I peeked out from under my blankets. "I know," I whispered back.**

"**I'm scared!" she squealed. Willow let out another squeak of fright.**

"**It's alright," I quickly consoled her. "He won't hurt us."**

**Willow gave me a frightened stare. "How do you know?"**

Before I could fully remember how I knew, the memory was gone as quick as the red eyed neko had.

_I am the one hiding under your stairs,_

_Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair…_

I saw another unnamed terror from my childhood. A hunch-backed beast, with serpent-like fingers and massive black spiders dropping from his hair waved those gorgon fingers at me, giving a friendly-yet-still-unpleasant smile. Another memory flashed into my mind.

**It was the eve of my mom's birthday, the 15****th**** of January. Me and Willow were at the landing of the stair, waiting for the clock to strike midnight.**

**As the twelfth chime sounded, Night crept out of his room, checking around for our parents. We were ready.**

"**Right Willow, you need to hide the clues," Night said quietly. "I'll go hide mom's present."**

"**What about me?" I asked curiously.**

"**Keep it down!" he gasped. "He might hear us!"**

**All three of us fell silent. My brother and sister shot terrified looks at the stairs.**

**Night's face blanched. "Oh wait. We need to go down the stairs to organise mom's birthday treasure hunt."**

**Willow let out a 'mmmwhoo' sound.**

**I hesitantly spoke up. "It's-it's okay. He won't hurt us."**

"**And you know that for a fact, do you?" Night snapped.**

**I gave him the glare which I had always been infamous throughout the family for. "Yes, I do, in fact."**

**Night scoffed. "Really?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**How come?"**

**I gave him a dream-like smile. "I've told him not to."**

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween,_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

_In this town, we call home,_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song_

I looked around in wonder as the parade of ghoulish nekos were joined by other paler ones with dark scarlet eyes the colour of blood. "Vampires," I murmured. I have heard legends of them, but never actually thought they existed. But hey, this was a dream…

Wasn't it?

_In this town,_

_Don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_

I bit back a shriek when a neko with two heads jumped out at me. He laughed wickedly, and took me by the hand, dragging me along at a faster pace to who knows where.

_Round that corner_

_Man hiding in the trashcan_

_Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll…_

_Scream!_

I stifled another scream as a neko leapt out of a deceptive looking trashcan. The party paused, obviously waiting for something. They snuck looks at me and giggled to each other, malice dripping from every sound they made. Somehow, I found their barely concealed evil more comforting that the false happiness I had felt from the perfect nekos.

_This is Halloween!_

_Red and black and slimy green_

_Aren't you scared?_

"Aren't you scared?"

_Well that's just fine!_

"Well that's just fine!"

_Say it once, say it twice,_

_Take a chance and roll the dice_

_Ride with the moon in the dead of night!_

Several twisted monsters grabbed me and lifted me up in the air. I laughed, my lungs filling with the sickly cold, yet still refreshing air. I felt…strangely at home. I had never felt like this before, not even in my own house, around my family, or friends. I spread my arms, silhouetted against the bright yet pasty moon.

_Everybody scream!_

_Everybody scream!_

_In our town of Halloween…_

_I am the clown with the tear-away face,_

_Here in a flash and gone without a trace_

Willow had always been terrified of clowns. They scared her, in a way that most people were scared of snakes, or spiders, or maybe even Barbie dolls, like I was. I thanked Starclan that she wasn't here, or she would have deafened us all with her screech when the faceless clown loomed up at me.

_I am the who when you call 'Who's there?'_

_I am the wind blowing through your hair_

_I am the shadow on the moon at night,_

_Filling your dreams to the brim with fright!_

A dark shadow on the moon was magically conjured after a freezing cold breeze wafted through my hair. A soft sigh breathed into my ear, and, despite myself, I shuddered.

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween,_

'_Alloween! 'Alloween! 'Alloween! 'Alloween! 'Alloween! 'Alloween!_

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween," chanted the residents of the spooky town as they led me through a large iron gate toward the black castle.

_Tender lumplings everywhere,_

_Life's no fun without a good scare!_

_That's our job_

_But we're not mean,_

_In our town of Halloween!_

'Yes,' I thought dreamily to myself. 'Life _is _no fun without a good scare!'

As if hearing my thoughts, several hideous brutes leapt out at me. I jumped a little, but then laughed along with them.

_In this town,_

_Don't we love it now?_

_Everybody's waiting for the next surprise!_

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back_

_And scream like a banshee_

_Make you jump out of your skin!_

Looking around, I noticed that the creatures seemed to be…well…treating me reverently. Although they teased me with attacks and malevolent gazes, I felt somehow that they meant no harm to me. It seemed like the earlier nightmares they had dispatched when I was little were not to terrorise me in the nights, but to look after me and keep me from harm.

I recalled that evening was I was seven.

**Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. I shrank in my bed, feeling afraid for the first time in weeks. Willow was at a sleepover, and so was Night. My mom and dad, deciding that I was capable of looking after myself, had gone out to a dinner party. A shadow rose up from the floor, one of a massive wolf like creature with the legs of a hyena and a cobra for a tail. I screamed, terrified.**

**Suddenly, the door burst open. I recognised the massive, bent over figure. It was…the bogeyman from under the stairs! My bed posts rattled and the one who had been always hiding under my bed also stalked out. They surrounded the mutant, growling menacingly.**

**I hid under my sheets, scared. I buried my head under the pillow and clutched my blanky to my chest.**

**Muffled voices reached me. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it sounded something along the lines of, "You won't touch her!" and "Back off, Brokenstar!"**

**There was a furious snarl, and the sound of claws upon claws and the snapping of teeth. A horrible ripping sound tore through the night, and all was quiet. Then:**

"**You can come out now. It's safe."**

**I slowly poked my head out. The bogeyman smiled kindly, and gestured towards the one who was apparently Brokenstar. The wolf hybrid lay on the floor, bleeding. His pale yellow eyes glazed over and he let out a final shuddering breath before melting into the shadows.**

"**You're safe. Don't worry."**

_This is Halloween,_

_Everybody scream!_

_Won't 'cha please make way for a very special guy?_

_Our man Jack is_

_King of the Pumpkin Patch,_

_Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!_

_This is Halloween, this is Halloween,_

_Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!_

The faceless clown pushed open the door to the castle. The residents lined up on either side of a tattered blood-red carpet that led to a tall black throne. In that way that you always knew what to do in a dream, I slowly made my way to the tall, ornate chair.

I sat down as one of the vampires hustled over with a velvet cushion. On it rested a crown of thorns, made of a black gemstone with red veins through it.

_In this town,_

_We call home,_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song!_

_La, la, la, la-la_

_(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Halloween, Halloween)_

_La, la, la, la-la_

_(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Halloween, Halloween)_

_La, la, la, la-la_

_(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Halloween, Halloween)_

_La-la-la, yeah!_

_(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la yeah!)_

I smiled, and reached over to pick up the circlet. Raising it up for all to see, I began to lower it onto my head. The nekos and monsters of Halloween Town all held their breath.

When the crown touched my head, they let out a thunderous roar of approval. A whispered phrase soon rippled through the crowd and turned into a chant.

"ALL HAIL WINTERSTAR!"

**A/N: hope you guys like it!**

**Sorry, but updates may be slow from now on. I do ballet, Chinese School, and all sorts of crap, school started again, and I'm being crushed by homework. –sigh-**

**Anyhoo.**

**Until the next chapter,**

**May Starclan light your path.**

**~xXEat Me Drink MeXx (Winterthaw of Thunderclan)**


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